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Hi

Can anyone help please with more information regarding my Grandma's first Husband "Charles David Friend".
I have to admit till a year ago i never knew nor did a few of my Aunts or Uncles that Grandma was married before, so slight ripple of shock was experienced.

What i would love to find out is a little more about where he died and what action he was involved with in the Great War. Would be nice to find out if he is at rest in one of the many war cemeteries for when i go visit europe.

So here is my only information that i can be sure is correct.
Grandma "Doris Sylvia Fothergill" Married "Charles Friend" in Q3 1916 record number 2a 701 and it appears to have been in Croydon.
I also believe in the same year Q4 1916 that they had a daughter called Jane I Friend record number 2a 496.

I believe charles was born in 1895 +/- 1 year and was K.I.A. in 1917.

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thank You

Mark & Paula
I

can't see him on the CWGC site

Name: Charles Friend
Residence: Croydon
Death Date: 4 Jan 1917
Enlistment Location: West Croydon
Rank: Private
Regiment: London Regiment
Battalion: 22nd (County of London) Battalion (The Queens).
Number: 6152
Type of Casualty: Died of wounds
Theatre of War: Aldershot
Comments: Formerly 191, 3/4Th Royal West Surrey Regt.


Ancestry has a way of recording deaths in Aldershot, but that doesnt mean he died there

For info, he shows at the CWGC site only as C FRIEND (matching the info Lindsey found) and no family is named.

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=143997

The additional info is:

Cemetery: LIJSSENTHOEK MILITARY CEMETERY

and you can click to see details of the gravesite.

It's sad that there is so little information about some of the war dead there. Maybe once the site is revamped there will be a facility for submitting info. (Canada's Virtual War Memorial site welcomes submission of photos and so on.)

Possible family 1911 census index

Schedule type Last names First names Sex Birth year Age in 1911 District / other County / other Transcript Original page
HOUSEHOLD FRIEND HARRIET F 1902 9 Croydon Surrey
HOUSEHOLD FRIEND HARRIETT F 1866 45 Croydon Surrey
HOUSEHOLD FRIEND HARRY PHILLIP KWYNTHY M 1893 18 Croydon Surrey
HOUSEHOLD FRIEND HENRY STEPHEN M 1899 12 Croydon Surrey
HOUSEHOLD FRIEND JOHN EDMUND M 1866 45 Croydon Surrey
HOUSEHOLD FRIEND JOSEPH NELION M 1907 4 Croydon Surrey
HOUSEHOLD FRIEND ROBERT ROY M 1905 6 Croydon Surrey
HOUSEHOLD FRIEND WILLIAM CURRETH CHURCH M 1888 23 Croydon Surrey

HOUSEHOLD FRIEND CHARLES DAVID JOHN M 1896 15 Croydon Surrey

Andy

the 1911 will give his relatives

HOUSEHOLD FRIEND CHARLES DAVID JOHN M 1896 15 Croydon Surrey

click on this link for detailed info about the cemetery

http://ww1cemeteries.com/ww1cemeteries/lijssenthoekmilitarycemetery.htm

George

Wow.

Thanks for the extremely fast replies.



Lindsey the 4th Jan 1917 is a date i have but was not sure to put it as i thought it may have been a red herring,

Thank you all for the replys and hopefully the CWGC you linked Janey is correct and i can tie the loose ends up we seem to get.


Thank you all for the help

Mark & Paula

Mark

There is a member on here who only lives 10 minutes from the cemetery in Belgium. She is currently engaged on a project to update all the info on those that are buried there.

I am sure if you contact her she might be able to take a photo of his resting place for you.Worth a contact

Her name is Liz Millward, and here is the link to the thread she posted to which i replied.

http://www.genesreunited.co.za/boards.asp?wci=thread&tk=1181335


George

What a terrific coincidence George, and that is great info.

Just to note, for those of us signed in to the UK portal, the url is this:

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.asp?wci=thread&tk=1181335

(The easy way is always just to change the number after the = sign in the thread you're in to the number for the one you want to go to, and hit Enter.)

Hi Mark

Just got this from soldiers died and then corrosponded it against CWGC.

6152 , Private Charles Friend

22nd (County of London) Battalion (The Queen's) London Regiment
Died of wounds, France & Flanders, 04/01/17
Enlisted: Croydon, Residence: West Croydon

Formerly 191, 3/4th Royal West Surrey Regiment

Is buried at Lijssenhoek Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium

I have his scholl of remembrance which I shall give to TocH along with any information you may find on him.

Best wishes

Elizabeth

Not looked myself but you might find something here

http://www.twgpp.org/index.php

Ginny
x

Ginny

http://www.twgpp.org/index.php is an organisation called the British War Graves Project - a group of voluenteers who go around all the cemeteries taking photos for the families of men who died.
I have done a few myself.

I checked the site and Marks relative nor mine is on there at the moment so I will have to rectify this and get in touch with Steve the organiser.

Mark if you want a photo of the grave I am willing to go and do you one myself and send it by email.

For knowing more about where he fought etc.. if you get in touch with Rose or Dominique at "Flanders Fields Documentation Centre" in Ieper they will be able to find it for you as they have all the Salient info held there.

If you are coming over here next year, I can arrange a tour company who will be able to do you a private tour based on where your relatives and battalions moves. If you book with them for this they will also do the research as well.

Hope this helps

Best wishes

Liz

Hi Mark

Now have somemore info for you.

Private 6152 Charles Friend
22nd (County of London) Battalion and (The Queen's) London Regiment.
Died of Wounds 4th January 1917
Buried Lijssenhoek (Plot X Row D Grave number 5A)
He enlisted at Croydon and living at West Croydon at the time

Neither his service record or his pension record have survived and there are a couple of other unresolved matters.
The records show that he was formerly 191 in the 3/4th Battalion, Royal West Surrey Regiment. His medal entitlement record give him two service numbers 6152 and 683096 - both of these in the London Regiment and makes no reference to the Royal West Surreys or of the number 191.

He was entitled to two campaign medals - Defence Medal and Victory Medal, this showing that he went overseas after the beginning of 1916
During 1916 the battalion as part of the 142nd Brigade, 47th (2nd London) Division, having fought at Vimy Ridge near Arras on the 21st May moved down to the Somme for the battles there which had commenced on the 1st July. There first action was on the 15th Sept during the attack on High Wood when they were in reserve carring ammunition up to the forward area prior to taking over the front line at the wood on the 18th and being relieved two days later. Thereafter, between spells at rest behind the lines they fought High Wood (2nd Oct): Starfish Line (4th Oct) and the front line at Eaucourt L'Abbaye (8th Oct).
They left Somme and entrained at Albert for Ypres sector on the 14th October 1916
On 19th October the division took over the area near "The Bluff" with the 142nd Brigade in the Hill 60 sector. The months went by with usual trench-warfare, sniping, patrols, raids, the enemy exploding underground mines etc. The year closed quietly, the only distubance being a little celebration at midnight arranged by the gunners. The "New Years Gift" to the enemy being: first, one round of a 9.2", a pause: nine rounds of 6", a pause: one round of 8", a pause and then seven rounds from the 60 pounders to ring in 1917. The infantry added five rounds rapid as their contribution.

January 1st marked by a heavy enemy bombardment (not altogether suprising one may think) of the whole Divisional front which did considerable damage to our trenches, blowing in the entrance of North Street tunnel to Crater A. All indications pointed to a raid but none took place and by 6.15pm things had become quieter.

For some days the enemy had been shelling the back area in a desultory fashion and on the 4th an unpleasant reminder of the possibilities of a new German Field Gun was given by a direct hit on Swan Chateau by a 77mm shell, which burst in a room occupied by runners of the 17th Battalion, killing one and wounding eleven. The enemy's artillery and trench mortar activity, combined with the rain and snow, made the maintenance to our trenches most laborious and difficult.

It was during these days that Charles was injured and sadly, succumbed to his wounds on the 4th January.

Hope this has made things clearer for you Mark on how your relative died and the existance over here in Belgium.

If I can be of further help please let me know

Best wishes
Liz

www.cherryblossom.be

Elizabeth

What a tremendous piece of information you have found for Mark, the sort of info that anyone who has lost someone in WW1 dreams about

I hope Mark comes back to his thread to see it. I think i will send him a PM i woulnt want him to not to see it, and to thank you for your hard work in finding this out.

George

I can only say i am overwhelmed at the information and the time you have given to research Charles.

Elizabeth i am in your debt for this. As i stated in my message i do not have a photograph of Charles but i will follow another lead i may have and try my hardest to obtain one if one still does exist.

Sorry i have not been around but real life has been hectic.

Thank you all so very much

Mark & Paula

Hi Mark, Paula and George

It was a pleasure to do the research but, have to admit did not do it all myself had a friend do some research for me as well. It was a collaberation.
I enjoy researching the soldiers of WW1 and have let Mark know that I shall go to the grave and lay a cross and then send a photo to him.
It will be nice to go and see Charles grave especially as, I also know more about him. Feel like I know him now.

If you could find a photo of him Mark that would be great, but also one of his wife would be lovely as well and any information however small.


Best wishes

Elizabeth

What a lovely result, i am so pleased, especially at this time of remembrance for all our Forces who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

George